Stress Relief For Writers From a Matchbox Alumni

I was invited here to tell you that if you’re worried about what your future as a writer might look like, you shouldn’t. One, because worrying about the future only prohibits you from being the best you can be in the present, and two, because once you start sifting through job listings post-grad, you’ll realize there’s an incredible amount of work for writers to do.

Here’s the thing: you have a skill that a shockingly small percentage of the population has mastered. Companies pay their communications departments a lot to ensure that, at the very least, when content goes out it doesn’t have typos that might bring down the brand’s credibility. I know this because that’s what I get paid to do—whenever I want, from anywhere in the world.

Freelancing is one of the many benefits that can come along with working with content. Another is stability. I know that even if one project ends, another is right around the corner because our society is obsessed with content.

Writers control so much of the media our society consumes—from film, to radio, the the writing on the side of a cereal box, to Dennys’ Twitter account. You name it, a writer or editor poured over it. As a writer, it’s crucial to stay open to every opportunity. Not only will you enhance your scope, you might end up in an unexpected field that you absolutely love. I had definitely never considered editing for a tech company, but I enjoy it and only have to work part-time, meaning every day I get closer to publishing my first book.

This is all to say calm down. The right job will come because there are so many way to be a writer. While I only graduated and entered into the career world 10 months ago, I feel like I can say this with some confidence. Just keep silently thinking about every way you would rewrite every piece of content you come across; you never know where it may lead.